Last week I celebrated my first year in Atlanta. Looking back over the past twelve months it seems like a blur at times. Now I can laugh at how horrible my movers were…I figure if you can come out on the other side with a good story anything is worth going through! My first night in Atlanta was spent on an air mattress in an empty apartment. At that point I didn’t even have the energy to care and just enjoyed laying in front of a fire and praying that I got some rest. After I got settled in we had the EPIC snow storm of 2011. For the first time in my life I was snowed in. This may sound crazy but I will take a hurricane any day...they have a path, you have time to come up with a plan, and to evacuate or not but snow just looks pretty (I mean doesn't it look amazing in that pic) but there is an underlying danger if you try to leave. Needless to say winter and I were not the best of friends. I am now better equipped to handle an actual winter with proper accessories. I have learned to layer and my scarf and coat collection has grown. I mean let’s be honest every situation really comes down to the accessories, right!
One of the best things I did upon moving was get involved in a church. I knew this is where I would meet my new community. After all I am a social creature you can’t have me in solitary for too long! I immediately joined a small group and participated in other events to meet new people. One of the strangest things to me in moving was the emotional response. I have often joked that God was putting me through emotional boot camp, to make up for all those years hiding my feelings. When I would leave small group I would sometimes cry on the way home because I missed “my people”. Then I would pep talk myself by saying what is wrong with you, get it together woman, this is where you live now and you have got to make it work! Having extra time on my hands didn’t help either…way too much time to think about anything and everything. The number one lesson that I learned from this whole experience was that I was far too dependent on myself and my relationships in Gainesville. Realizing that I need to be dependent on God through everything has changed my life. Knowing that He is always there no matter where I go has become a great comfort and confidence for me. Stepping out in trust and faith has only strengthened my relationship with God and I know that He has me in Atlanta for a reason bigger than I can even imagine.
My friends laugh when I use my tag line for 2011 “Well the older I get the less I want to put up with the drama.” Life is too short to make a big deal out of nothing or not give something that is important enough attention. Cherish the friends and family that you have in your life. If you love somebody tell them, if you miss somebody tell them, don’t assume people know how you feel if you can’t even own up to it. Granted this is a scary thing sometimes but you should let people know if they are important to you. God has blessed me with some pretty amazing people. Ones who I can laugh, cry, and be myself with, that is what is it really all about. To surround yourself with people that you actually want to have in your life. Every relationship is work and it’s up to each person to decide how much they want to invest. As 2011 comes to a close and I start my second year in Atlanta I have no doubts that I am in for another gloriously bumpy ride.
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